You Wanna Go Grab Some Coffee?
by MizardofSheamus
Summary: At Bragging Rights, Alex Riley used his body to shield Miz from a 619. Here's an explanation of why.


_Disclaimer: I own neither The Miz or Alex Riley, and if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd be watching it happen in real life ;)_

_Just so everyone knows, I didn't actually see Bragging Rights in its entirety. I've only seen the section that this fic is based on, so forgive me for anything I say that may not have happened. I'm claiming creative license._

Kevin paced back and forth along the length of the ring, watching as one by one, the superstars from Team RAW and Team Smackdown dwindled.

Then, Ezekiel Jackson got eliminated, and Mike was all on his own. Kevin watched with baited breath as his mentor took on Oscar, his anxiety growing every minute.

Mike fell onto the second rope with a pained whimper, the material digging into his throat. He could hear the crowd rallying around his opponent as he prepared for the 619, and he squeezed his eyes shut. This was gonna hurt like a bitch, and knowing a spear would be coming only minutes later didn't help things.

'The Awesome One' felt the ring shake slightly as Oscar bounced off the ropes opposite him, and he took a deep breath and braced himself for the impact.

But it never came.

His eyes flew open as he was wrapped in a tight embrace, his body now shielded from the 619.

The breath whooshed out of Kevin as Oscar hit him, and his hold on Mike vanished before he fell in a crumple heap on the floor.

Mike stared at him in amazement, nearly missing his cue to fall back to the mat for the second part of the move.

Why had Kevin done that? Vince could fire him for interfering where he wasn't scheduled to, but it hadn't seemed like Kevin cared.

Mike fought Oscar with a renewed vigor, very nearly pinning the Mexican Superstar before Adam got the tag.

He barely felt the Canadian's spear, and he waited- rather impatiently- for the pin. The second Adam's music hit, Mike rolled out of the ring, crawling over to his still-grounded protégé.

"Are you alright?" he asked, knowing it was out of character, but not caring. Why should he? Kevin had just risked his career to protect him.

"'m fine," he mumbled, slowly but surely getting to his feet. Mike helped him the best he could, but he wasn't in much better condition himself.

They limped their way up the ramp, the jeers of the crowd falling on deaf ears as the two men got lost in their own thoughts.

When they finally emerged backstage, Mike turned to his friend and companion, his expression impossible to read.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, eyes searching Kevin's face for any hint as to the emotions of the younger man. Kevin sighed, attempting to look anywhere but at his mentor, but Mike wasn't having any of that. He took Kevin's face in his hands, forcing the younger man to meet his gaze. "Why did you do that?" he asked again.

"I…." Kevin fumbled over his words, trying to figure out how to explain himself. Having Mike so close made it hard for him to think. "I couldn't let you get hurt," he said, trying to put some semblance of space between himself and the older man. This position was too intimate; it was breaking Kevin's heart.

But Mike wasn't going to let him get away. Not after an admission like that.

He released Kevin's face in favour of wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck. Kevin went completely still, mind shutting down from the shock of having Mike so close to him.

"Thank you," the older man whispered before pulling Kevin into a kiss. The younger man needed a moment for his brain to catch up, because **HOLY FUCK HE'S KISSING MIKE**, but soon enough his arms wound around the champions waist, and he was kissing back.

A couple knowing chuckles came from superstars in the area, the men too wrapped up in each other to realize they weren't alone.

Mike pulled back first, no longer able to deny his body's need for oxygen, but he had no intentions of letting go of Kevin any time soon.

The younger man smiled down at him, wanting to say so many things, but deciding a smile would work for now. He wasn't even sure he was capable of speaking just yet.

Mike returned his smile eagerly. If he had any say in the matter, they'd be doing that a lot more often.

"So," Kevin started, finally regaining his ability to speak. "You wanna go get some coffee?"

The WWE Champion beamed up at Kevin, nodding. He didn't even like coffee, but for Kevin, he'd drink a whole pot.


End file.
